


All Work & No Play

by anandrew



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Drunken Shenanigans, Drunkenness, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:54:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25743925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anandrew/pseuds/anandrew
Summary: L gets wine tipsy before bed & they have a brief moment of friendliness.
Relationships: L & Yagami Light, L/Yagami Light
Comments: 13
Kudos: 84





	All Work & No Play

**Author's Note:**

> i drank a bottle of wine, opened google docs, & just went at it. i may or may not include more eventually but i do have a much longer fic in the works that this may be connected to

“Have you ever had a drink, Light?” L questions, the balls of his feet planted loosely on the plush carpet of their bedroom despite his bottom aligning with the chair’s cushion for once.

“A drink--?” Light pauses, the words tumbling slowly from his mouth like a mechanical puppet parroting anything L said at the moment before he glanced up & caught the signature maroon of wine in a glass that looked far too expensive for L’s fingers. “Oh, uh,” He blinks, a rouge blushing his cheeks like he’d caught the detective naked or some obscene equivalent. “No, I think,” He eventually answers, having set his gaze, now unfocused, down at the screen again.

“Would you like one?” L offers without a hint of, well, anything in his voice.

“I’m not old enough,” Light says on reflex which makes L exhale a sound Light’s never heard before. If he had to classify it, he thinks it’d be close to a laugh though it lacked substance. 

The room goes silent then, if your ears were good enough you’d be able to hear the sound of Light’s stomach going uneasy. L had excellent ears.

“You are where I’m from at least,” L teases but his tone falls flat, so Light’s not too sure if it was actually a joke or if he was insisting.

“The UK, right.” Light mumbles in self confirmation, like he had to recall that fact rather than it being an ever-present detail of L’s true identity in Kira’s mind. “That doesn’t change the law here though,” Light’s feeling dumber by the second, like a child attempting to lecture a teacher on why arithmetic worked the way it did.

“Yes, I know,” L sighs & takes a sip of his emptying glass. “The offer stands,” He continued after a few moments, as Light began to type something inane in order to fill the room with something other than the sound of his own breathing.

L finished his drink eventually, on the other side of the room, having entertained himself with the file in his lap, though mostly he just stared at Light through his hair. The fermented grapes made his head dizzy, eyes heavier than usual. He’s sure if he laid down right now, he’d finally get a solid night of sleep despite the nightmares; but even though he stands up & heads to the large bed he & Light shared, he didn’t really have any intention of sleeping.

“What are you working on,” L asks innocently of Light who had shifted his position to be lying on his stomach, laptop inches from his face.

“What else would I be working on, Ryuzaki? What _you’re_ supposed to be working on; the Kira case.” The dusting on his face from earlier returned. 

Why was he being so rude to the detective tonight? Something about how casual the older man was being put him on edge, though it shouldn’t, really. Ryuzaki was a friend. Friends drank together, though what Light said was still the truth. He was only 18 & it’d be a couple years before he’d be allowed at a bar. Even so, drinking wasn’t something Light ever entertained the thought of. He was proud of his intelligence & drinking kills brain cells … or something like that. Light eyed the bottle Ryuzaki had brought to bed with him as he settled in the indian position, presumably so he’d be able to see the screen as well.

“All work & no play…” L mumbled as he put the bottle to his lips & took another swig.

“Did you just quote _The Shining_ at me?” Light whipped his head around, thin brows raised like he was shocked to find out Ryuzaki watched movies.

“I'm awfully glad you asked me that, Light,” L continued to quote cheekily, which forced Light to believe that Ryuzaki actually _did_ watch movies enough to quote them on demand.

“Huh.” Light breathed, blinked at the inebriated detective, then turned back to his laptop.

“Huh?” L pushed as he pulled a knee to his chest for no reason other than to take the pressure off his spine.

“I just … didn’t expect you to be the movie type, Ryuzaki.”

“Well, I think everyone’s seen at least the Shining, right? It’s a classic for a reason.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Light poked at a random keyboard button, though it typed nothing for lack of significant pressure.

“Out with it, Light, I can see the cogs in that conditioned & moisturized skull of yours,” L reached out playfully to tug a silk strand of Light’s hair.

“You don’t moisturize skulls,” Light swatted Ryuzaki’s hand away, equally playfully with a demure expression hidden.

“No? Is that not what conditioning is?” 

“Well, yeah, but in that case you’re just being repetitive.” 

“Maybe I was testing you,”

“It was an awful test then,”

“Leave that as it may,” L nudged Light’s hip with his bare toe, “What had you been thinking, Light?”

“I guess…” Light sighed & pushed himself to kneel back on his heels. “I just assumed a detective like you didn’t have time for things like that…” He glanced guiltily at the olive-tinted bottle in L’s hand. 

“Ahh,” L smirked & looked down at his lap. “In truth, I don’t,” He admitted quietly after a few moments. Light attempted to hide his surprise, though he figured something like that didn’t matter right now. “Wine, movies … sweets …” He shruged, “Sex. If the public knew someone who defined the justice system did things like get drunk with a suspect,” _Ouch,_ “Then they’d be right not to trust me.”

His words didn’t make much sense but Light chalks that up to the drink. It takes a moment to all catch up to Light considering the circumstances but for some reason the thought of Ryuzaki having sex made him look away again. He shouldn’t be surprised really but it’s hard to digest. This was something else friends did, right? Talk about sex & stuff … Well, it wasn’t like Ryuzaki was _asking_ for details … Light shook his head & tried to dislodge that train of thought.

“You’re making it sound like we _shouldn’t_ trust you, which is nonsense Ryuzaki,” Light insists as though he’d heard his childhood hero renounce his honor. Well, not _as though._

“Is it…” L mumbles. He feels bad for having steered the conversation towards a topic like this, though in a way he guesses it’s a good thing. If Kira suspects he’s vulnerable…

“Okay, I think you’ve had enough to drink Ryuzaki,” Light hesitantly reached for the bottle & expected Ryuzaki to put up a fight as he stole it from his lap, though L simply allowed it to happen. Light was probably right, at least about drinking at a time like this.

“I’m sorry,” L offers after a few moments. 

The room falls awkwardly silent again & Light can’t help but wonder what the appeal of stuff like this was. Just half a bottle, to Light’s knowledge, & one of the strongest, most impressive men he knew crumbled. Just like that? He glanced at Ryuzaki; in truth, he knew nothing about who he really was, so maybe it had nothing to do with the wine. Maybe this was just how he was sometimes. Naively, Light took a sniff of the bottle in a way he thought was quiet but ...

“Argh--” He reflexively breathed, pulling his head away & holding the bottle far from himself like the smell had been deadly. 

L looked up & couldn’t help the almost wildly entertained expression that painted his face with drawn lips & wide open eyes filled with laughter.

“Light?” L questioned, trying to keep amusement out of his tone but that was impossible really.

“Yeah, sorry,” He relaxes his posture, bringing the bottle back to himself, face fully red now. “The smell just … caught me off guard.” 

“You really haven’t had a drink before.”

“Did you think I was lying?”

“Hm, well, I’m never quite sure about that,” _Ouch, again._ “But why don’t you try a swig?” Light began to object already, “Oh come on, it doesn’t taste _that_ bad.” 

Light had to admit, seeing L like this, smirking, almost cocky, & looking like he was ready to tell a killer joke was much better than seeing him depressed & full of self hate like he had been a moment ago. “Maybe …” Light eyes the bottle in his hand, he can smell the putrid wine from here. “But just for the record Ryuzaki, you’re basically peer pressuring me into this.”

“Nothing good ever happened without a bit of goading,” L excused like he wasn’t talking an 18 year old into illegal drinking, but in the grand scheme of things, which was the only scheme people like L & Light worried about, something like this wouldn’t matter.

“Alright, I’ll try it, _but,_ ” Light points the neck at Ryuzaki, suddenly serious in a way that almost had the detective bursting out already. “Talking an inebriated person into a confession is evidence that’s admissible in court, which I trust you already know.”

L’s lips trembled with laughter he stifled, a hand was brought up to perch a thumb strategically there. “Oh yes, I’d never think of doing something so _immoral,_ Light _._ ” 

“Alright then,” Light paused & stared down the barrel. 

He lied earlier, he had tried alcohol before. The one time he was talked into actually showing up at someone’s birthday party when he said he would, a few years ago. The kids had gotten a hold of beer somehow & after a couple, Light had spent the night puking into his bedroom trash can. He really had no tolerance for the stuff, but …

Light stuck the neck to his lips & tilted the thing back. He wasn’t sure how much was left so when he eventually got the elevation correct & liquid touched his pursed lips, he had jumped slightly, much to his dismay. Experimentally he poked a tongue out to taste the bitter stuff & quickly realized what an awful idea that was.

“Bleh--!!” Light rubbed his tongue on his sleeve while L finally uttered an auditory laugh.

“I suppose it really isn’t for everyone,” L teased as Light desperately tried to get the taste out of his mouth.

“S-s-salty!!” Light passed the bottle to Ryuzaki & dove for the water bottle at the side of the bed while L’s laughter dissolved into quiet chuckles. “Gah…” The sound of crushed plastic & loud gulps filled the room before Light finally finished reacting.

“No offense Ryuzaki, but that was disgusting” Light gasped.

Almost to spite Light, L placed the glass to his lips & took another swig. “To each their own, I suppose.” 

A moment passed as Light ran a hand down his face. The night was getting to him, they usually didn’t talk this much before going to bed. 

“Ryuzaki…” Light cautioned as he reached to close his laptop.

“Hm? Yes, what is it, Light?” The night was also wearing on him. He hoped that even with the commotion of their conversation, he’s still able to utilize the alcohol in his system for a good night's sleep.

“Not that it’s any of my business, but … aren’t you like, seriously wealthy? I mean,” Light vaguely gestures to the room they sat in, which was decorated like some vintage Western 20’s era showroom, but the question was also insinuated to include the entire _building_ this room was in. “Why don’t you drink something … I don’t know, better tasting?”

L coughed, surprised at the childishness of Light’s assumption. He set the bottle on the nightstand & sloppily undid his jeans which were always too rough to sleep in.

“It tastes just fine to me & millions of other people, Light. Perhaps, just this once, you are incorrect.”

“I … don’t think opinions can be incorrect, Ryuzaki.”

“That’s where you’re wrong again, Light.”

“...Whatever. Good night.”

“Good night, Light.”


End file.
